Punching Up Crispy. Again.
In 2017, I first posted about the importance of having a crispy house. If you missed the post, you might enjoy reading it.
I did another crispy post in 2020 after discovering that the eyebrow window on the north facade had gotten…oh, the horror…uncrispy.
And now, in 2025, I am again chagrined to reveal that I have allowed this beloved window to, ahh, decrisp again. Even though I have cleaned the window numerous times since 2020.
My eyes! My eyes!
Crispy redux. And all is just a bit better across the land.
Of all the zillion windows in the Cross House, this one is the most vulnerable to getting dirty. This is due to how close it is to the ground. Rain water hits the ground and tosses flecks of dirt onto the glass. Mowing the lawn tosses green bits onto the glass. Wind, too, slaps detritus against the glass.
But Ross, lying the ground, with Windex and paper towels, is the magic Crisper elixer.
Happy holidays!
I am actually going through the whole house cleaning and organizing. I have removed all the tools and brought them back to my Strong House. It is wonderful having all my tools in one location.
The kitchen sink is gleaming.
The servant’s stair has been vacuumed, top to bottom.
On the third floor I Windexed the insides of all the windows. Fly poop no more!
Tomorrow I plan to use the extension ladder to reach the Octagon Tower upper windows and clean them. The ladder has been sitting on the roof of the main porch for like two years. Time to give it some use! While on the roof I will also clean all the accessible second-floor windows.
I do all this work because I have to drive to Emporia like twice a week to drop off a box at UPS. I am not capable of coming into town and not checking on the Cross properties. Is the heat working? Any broken windows? Birds in the house? Burst pipes? So, finding small tasks to do while there just seems prudent.
This Crispy focus also seems important because while the house is on hiatus for like a year, I do not want it to look abandoned.
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Merry Christmas old friend.
For Pete’s sake, do not fall off the ladder!
I’ve have an extension ladder against my house for not quite a year. I was trimming a tree and decided I did not like using a chainsaw on the top of the ladder. So I have hired an arborist to take down the tree and trim another in January. There are some things I will not do, not even to save money.
Not exactly the Christmas activity I would choose but if it makes you happy, clean on.
I shouldn’t talk, as I am busy reorganizing my garage for the delivery of a new Freezer and moving of my old refrigerator to the garage to make room for the delivery of a new refrigerator. Not exactly the normal Christmas activities either but I have wanted this refrigerator since 2020. I actually ordered one and then Covid hit and I waited for a year for delivery and it was constantly out of stock. I finally canceled the order and got my money back. Then my old refrigerator finally died and I had to buy whatever I could get quickly. I hate it. I really loathe it. (But it will be fine in the garage as a back-up, overflow refrigerator.) I reordered my beloved, lusted for refrigerator and it will arrive on Tuesday. My Christmas present to me.
Now I just have to build a cabinet for over the stove (it will be the third one for that space and I’m doing it myself so it will be done right) so that the microwave I bought will have something to hang from. I just know my old microwave is going to die soon. It is way past it’s lifespan.
My only regret is the new refrigerator only comes in stainless steel. Everything else in my vintage kitchen is white. But maybe I can get a wrap for it or something. I will look into that.
I managed to find a white stove to match my white refrigerator, and felt like I hit the jackpot. I don’t have anything against stainless steel, if that’s what you want — but I infinitely prefer the warmth of white appliances. Here’s hoping you can find a wrap so you can have the white refrigerator you deserve.
Very satisfyingly crispy!
Thank you for taking on this project, sharing your amazing restoration and creative work. You’re a delightful nudge to get some of my own work started.
Maybe a sheet of plexi cut for the stone opening and siliconed in place would be a good idea for this particular window. It gets a lot of water and wind.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, Ross! It’s late, but no less heartfelt.